Stargate: Return of the Ancients, Season 1, Ep 12
by Aer-ki Jyr
Summary: Episode, "Aftermath"
1. Chapter 1

Carter came flying through the stargate head first into the SGC, tumbled over once in mid air, then fell hard to the ground at the foot of the ramp where there was an audible 'pop' that even Landry could hear as he came through the gateroom doors.

"What the hell?" he demanded at the up close sight of Woolsey's dead body, with the sentiment echoing in his mind a second time when he saw Carter's unconscious form balled up on the floor.

A Corporal knelt down next to Carter, pressed two fingers against her throat, then gave Landry a thumbs up.

"Where's that medic?" Landry yelled as Caldwell and Ellis stepped through the gate just before it shut down. "Will someone please tell me what the hell is going on?"

"Which part?" Caldwell asked half sarcastically.

"The part where Woolsey is dead," Landry said evenly, letting the Colonel know he wasn't in a mood for games.

"Stevenson killed Woolsey," Caldwell said. "We don't know why."

"That's not entirely true," Ellis interrupted. "It appeared that Woolsey had information that the rest of us didn't, and whatever that information was it was serious enough to get him killed. Stevenson asked General Carter if she knew before he sent her back."

"You mean threw her back," Caldwell objected. "If Stevenson is as advanced as it appears, then he probably has telepathic abilities, which it looked like he was using on Woolsey and Carter. We have no way of knowing what was going on between them."

"Stop right there," Landry demanded. "We'll sort this mess out later. Are all your personnel accounted for?"

"All that chose to come back," Caldwell said stiffly.

Landry frowned. "You mean more of our people defected to Atlantis?"

"Yes, sir," Ellis answered.

"For the love of God," Landry said under his breath. "We'll debrief in one hour. In the mean time try and come up with a short synopsis. I highly doubt I'll have the patience to sit through every mission detail. The I.O.A. can do that on their own time, but I for one want to hear why our taskforce returned to Earth without their ships," he said, eyeing the two Colonels as he walked over to Carter as the newly arrived medics were hauling her up onto a gurney.

"Sergeant Siler!" Landry half yelled over the din.

"Yes, sir."

"I want that new iris installed ASAP."

"As soon as it arrives, sir."

"Colonel Davenwood," Landry said, looking at the man on his left. "I want a permanent security guard in the gateroom around the clock until the iris is fixed. That bastard just left Earth open to attack, and if anything unwelcome comes through that gate it's your responsibility to make sure it doesn't get off this ramp."

Davenwood nodded. "Will do, General."

Landry looked up at the gate with its worthless iris halo ringing the inside of the device and shook his head in disgust.

* * *

"Dr. McKay…wait," Dr. Lam said, putting her arm in front of him as he tried to enter the infirmary.

"I'm here to see Colonel Carter," he explained innocently.

"I know," Lam said. "But before I let you, you need to understand a few things."

"Understand what?"

"She's not alright, despite appearances to the contrary," Lam said in a whisper.

Rodney frowned. "What do you mean?"

"She has a broken wrist, that much is easy to diagnose…but she hasn't said a single word since she woke up. I tried to talk to her, but the most I got was two seconds of eye contact. She's been crying most of the time, or trying to. She's probably out of tears by now."

"What are you saying?"

"I think there's something psychologically wrong with her," Lam said gingerly. "Something I can't diagnose…not for sure anyway. But at the very least I'd say she suffered some kind of emotional trauma. Her lack of responsiveness is probably due to a self-defense mechanism, dulling her senses to the outside world in an attempt to lock down the internal pain."

"What are you saying…she's broken?"

"I don't know. I suggest you handle her with kid gloves, but if you can get through to her, even a little, it would better help me diagnose her condition."

"Of course," Rodney said as Lam let her arm down. He walked over to Carter's bed and sat down in an adjacent chair. He reached out gently and touched her shoulder.

"Sam? It's me, Rodney. Can you hear me?"

Carter's eyes remained where they were…staring through him towards the wall, half swollen from endless crying.

"What the hell happened to you?" McKay asked in a whisper. "Last I saw you, you were fine."

Very slowly Carter's eyes focused and lifted toward Rodney with fresh tears seeping out. "You were right," she said, barely loud enough for him to hear. "I'm sorry."

"About what? The mission?" McKay said, glad to just have her look at him. "Forget about all that right now…" he said to her, but she'd already drifted off again.

Dr. Lam walked up behind him, concerned. "Did she say something?"

"A few words, then she was gone again."

"That's something at least," Lam said, jotting something down on her clipboard. "Good work."

Rodney shrugged his shoulders. "I didn't do anything."

"Sometimes the presence of a certain person elicits a response that others can't. Either way, it's a good sign."

"Do you have any idea how this could have happened?"

"You don't know?"

"No," McKay said, eyes widening. "What happened?"

"I was told it had to do with Stevenson, and the possibility of a telepathic mind link."

"That doesn't make any sense," McKay said, confused. "Why would he do something like this to her?"

The moment the words were out of his mouth he knew the answer. Sam's few words were all the proof he needed. Dr. Lam must have seen the reaction in his eyes.

"What?" she asked curiously.

"Nothing," McKay said, getting up. "Let me know if anything changes?" he asked.

"Sure," Lam said, unconvinced, but she let it go.

Rodney nodded his thanks then hurriedly walked off.

* * *

Stevenson stood at the control board of the Asgard core onboard the _Odyssey_ as a sudden revelation hit him. The wording the Asgard had chosen in several historical records had seemed odd, and he'd just done a search along those 'odd' parameters. The correlated events on the patchwork timeline that the computer core had just compiled for him gave a coded sequence of _future_ events…if one knew how to read them.

It wasn't something the humans could have noticed. The Asgard language was subtle, and without a full understanding of the nuances of the language the 'oddities' wouldn't stand out. That had given him the first glimmer of hope in the three days he'd spent going through the massive amount of data stored within the core, but what he'd just found floored him.

It was a detailed, yet vague, step by step process through which the Asgard race would be reborn.

He'd suspected something like this would be here. The Asgard were too advanced for mass suicide…the Alterra had taught them better than that. However, if they were going to keep their technology out of the wrong hands then they needed everyone to believe they were dead so no one would come looking for them…except someone sufficiently advanced to help them.

Stevenson didn't know if they'd expected him to be the one to come to their aid, but the clues they'd left behind seemed as if they were tailor made for him. Regardless, he _did_ have the power to help them…he'd solved the problem of their continual genetic degeneration within two hours of gaining access to their medical records within the data core. The Asgard had already done all the ground work for him, they had just lacked a single piece of information…one that Stevenson had, thanks to Lyran.

That was, however, merely the tip of the iceberg. With this new revelation a multitude of interlocking events needed to be set in motion, and done so quickly. Time was on his side, so long as he didn't delay. With the initial confrontation with Avalon now in the history books, he could move on to other projects that would require longer periods of time away from Pegasus…projects that, up until now, he hadn't felt comfortable risking.

To that end, he ringed back into the central column of Atlantis from the pier where the _Odyssey_ was undergoing a much needed refit and tracked down Drs Jackson and Weir. They were the first two pieces in the very large puzzle that he was about to start putting together.


	2. Chapter 2

"What's going on?" Mitchell asked as SG-1 came back through the gate from a mission to the Tok'ra homeworld to renegotiate their alliance.

"Sorry, sir," Sergeant Siler apologized. "We're having to install a new iris."

"What's wrong with the old one?" Haley asked as the wormhole deactivated and the construction crews got back to work.

"Had a hole in it," Siler said, excusing himself.

"A hole?" Mitchell asked as they walked off the ramp into the midst of Colonel Davenport's security guard.

"Courtesy of Atlantis," the Colonel answered. "Busted a hole right through it when we wouldn't lower the iris."

"Why?" Vala asked, stepping up next to Mitchell.

"They wanted to send back their prisoners."

"What prisoners?" Mitchell asked, concerned.

"The crew of the three ships we sent to retake the city," Davenport said. "Woolsey came back dead, followed a minute later by Colonel Carter doing a superman through the gate. I hear she's beat up pretty bad."

Mitchell exchanged glances with Teal'c and hurried out of the gateroom with the rest of SG-1 in tow. He made a beeline for the infirmary, still carrying his weapons and desert gear.

"Sam?" he asked earnestly as they walked into the infirmary.

Carter was lying flat on her back looking up at the ceiling and tilted her head forward at the sound of his voice. She closed her eyes in shame when she realized who it was and laid her head back down.

"What happened?" Mitchell asked as he stood over her.

"Go away," she said meekly.

"Yes, go away," Lam said walking up behind the Colonel and pulling at his elbow. "She needs her rest."

"I'm not going anywhere until somebody tells me what's going on."

"Allow me," General Landry said from the doorway behind them. "You blew through the gateroom so fast I wasn't able to catch you."

"What happened to the iris?" Vala asked. "I thought it was close enough to the event horizon to prevent anything from coming through."

Landry nodded. "McKay theorized that Stevenson sent an energy blast through that made a small crack in the metal, then expanded it with repetitive 'kawooshes' as he called it. Damn thing ate away at the iris until they'd opened up a large enough hole to send our people back through."

"If they wanted to send our people back," Haley asked, "why didn't you just open it?"

Landry eyed her for a moment. "In retrospect that probably would have been a good idea, but at the time we didn't know their full intentions."

As they talked, Teal'c walked over to Carter and put his hand on her shoulder, but she turned away from him as well.

"What about Earth's ships?" Vala asked.

"They kept those," Landry said irreverently. "And said they'd be even less friendly if we came after them again."

"What happened to Carter," Mitchell reiterated.

"You can thank Stevenson for that," Landry said angrily. "And for the death of Woolsey. Right now, however, I need SG-1 to redeploy...immediately."

"What's up?" Haley asked eagerly.

"I just got word from the Delta site. They were attacked by a puddle jumper that came through the gate. It destroyed the Ancient repository then left the same way it came."

Mitchell frowned. "Assuming it was someone from Atlantis, why would they do that?"

Landry half smiled. "That's what I want SG-1 to find out. Poke around the base and see what you can dig up. I highly doubt this is a coincidence."

"General…" Carter's meek voice interrupted.

"Sam…" Mitchell said, stepping back to her side.

"Colonel Carter?" Landry said questioningly.

"It's the I.O.A.," she continued, barely making eye contact. "They were…killing people…making them use the repository."

Landry frowned. "How do you know that?"

"Stevenson gave me Woolsey's memories," Carter said, starting to cry again. "They managed to backwards engineer some of the tech from the Ark…they used it to brainwash some of their people. Woolsey knew of three people that died before our mission, and they weren't planning on stopping…"

"That was a year and a half ago," Landry said, thinking out loud.

"Who knows how many more may have died since," Teal'c added somberly.

"That's why the I.O.A. wanted Sheppard back," Carter continued, regaining a bit of her composure. "It wasn't working…and he's demonstrated a compatibility with Ancient tech…"

"Son of a bitch," Mitchell said under his breath.

"Is that why Stevenson killed Woolsey?" Landry asked.

Carter nodded slightly. "It was partly his idea…as a backup if they couldn't capture Stevenson."

"What did they plan to do with him?" Vala asked in all seriousness.

"Woolsey told them they couldn't contain him indefinitely with the anti-prior device. He suggested they download what memories they could, then kill him after no more than 24 hours."

"Kill him?" Vala asked incredulously. "Do they really have the right to do that? I know Woolsey suggested that when Daniel was a prior, but under your planet's laws I thought there was some process of discovery that protected against such things."

"There's supposed to be…but I'm more concerned with them using the Ark," Mitchell said in disgust. "Like you said, they have no problem killing one of our own if they think they're a threat…but brainwashing our own people opens up a whole new can of worms."

Landry took a step closer to Carter. "I don't suppose you have any proof of this?"

Carter glared at him for a moment, then meekly shook her head 'no.'

Landry looked up at Mitchell. "Slight change of plans, Colonel. I want you at the Delta site five minutes ago…see if you can verify what she just said before the I.O.A. has a chance to clean it up."

Mitchell nodded. "Yes, sir." He turned and gave Sam's arm a squeeze. "Hang in there, Kiddo."

SG-1 hurried out of the infirmary and went straight back to the gate while Landry remained behind. He sat down on the edge of Carter's bed and looked at her sympathetically. He had no idea what was going through her mind, but at least she'd recovered enough to give them some vital intel.

"What else did Woolsey know?"

* * *

Stevenson brought Jackson and Weir to a bio-lab in one of the spires on pylon 2, far away from the inhabited sections of the city. In fact, ever since Stevenson had arrived in Atlantis certain city sectors had been off limits to the humans, quarantined through the city's central computer.

This lab resided in one of the quarantined sections and was far off the beaten path, even from the Atlantis expedition's original exploration area. As it was, Dr. Weir was getting her first look at a section of city she'd never before laid eyes on.

Stevenson leaned against the wall of the lab when they arrived, indicating they were at their destination.

"Ok," Daniel said curiously. "What's going on?"

"Yes, why couldn't you say anything in the mess hall?" Elizabeth chimed in.

"Remember that promotion I promised you?" Stevenson asked.

Elizabeth inclined her head. "If I broke 20 minutes. What does that have to do with this?"

Stevenson pointed to a device in the corner.

"I've seen one of those before," Daniel said cautiously. "If I'm not mistaken, it's some type of DNA altering device, identical to the ones Nirti and Anubis used…and Merlin."

Stevenson raised an eyebrow in Daniel's direction.

"What are you saying?" Elizabeth asked.

"You want to use this machine to…upgrade us?" Daniel asked.

Stevenson nodded. "The Alterran home galaxy was always Avalona, but even there we didn't have full control. There are far more systems without stargates than those with, and those that did were too many in number for us to keep a close watch on. We used a network of alliances to maintain our influence and keep watch over our territory, even in our primary galaxy."

"And while Pegasus is a dwarf galaxy, it still contains millions of systems…too many for anyone to keep track of. Even if I focused my entire mission on this galaxy alone, there would still be wild systems, not to mention interstellar space, where we would hold no power."

"That is why the Alterra do not seek to dominate a region of space through brute force…we act in response to threats, we do not seek to suppress them. It would be futile to try. As far as we know the universe is infinite…there will always be the unknown to deal with, therefore we developed our interstellar and intergalactic civilization along those lines."

"I think I see where you're going with this," Daniel interrupted. "The Asgard operated the same way. They had a list of planets under their protection, and they would intervene if something happened to them, but they never defended them in the traditional sense. They allowed the enemy the first move with the knowledge that they could and would inevitably bring in superior firepower to deal with the situation."

Elizabeth cringed. "That sounds a little cold to me. A lot of people could be killed before they could respond. On the other hand, if they'd placed some sort of outpost on the planet in question they could hold off the attack until reinforcements arrived."

"You're missing the point," Daniel said, glancing at Stevenson for verification. "If they put their own people on the worlds they protected, that list would be a short one. Now, if they only promised a swift and overwhelming response…"

"…they could protect more worlds," Elizabeth finished.

"A lot more," Daniel continued, "given that the Alterra established the means for instantaneous travel between galaxies, coupled with advanced hyperdrives to be able to quickly move to regions that didn't have stargates."

Elizabeth glanced at Stevenson, but he seemed content to let them work through the logic on their own. "But, if you get too big you run the risk of letting some worlds slip through the cracks."

"Which is why," Daniel said with finality, "you need a network of allies who can keep watch and inform you when something is happening."

Stevenson smiled. "Or to deal with the minor threats themselves."

Daniel glanced back at the Ancient device. "And you want us," he said, gesturing to himself and Elizabeth, "to look after Pegasus."

"Yes," Stevenson said.

Daniel frowned. "You're not thinking Adam and Eve here, are you?"

"No," Stevenson said firmly, shaking his head. "In fact, I don't want you reproducing for a while. You'll need a decent population before you can form a maturia…say, at least a thousand."

"Hold on a minute," Elizabeth said, throwing her hands in the air to get them to stop. "What are you implying?"

"Not that…" Daniel said quickly, "though that's by no means a slight against you."

Elizabeth held her head in his hand. "Ryan, why do you have to be so cryptic? Just tell me what it is you want."

Stevenson held up his hand to stop Daniel from saying anything. "I told you if you broke 20 minutes on a 5k run you would get a promotion. You did very well with your training once you got past your initial reluctance. You even started to like it, because it gave you a personal journey that only you were aware of. You didn't have to factor in other people's opinions or beliefs…it was just you and the hard truth. And you appreciated the reversal."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "I thought you taught me how to block your telepathy?"

"You're not very good at it," Stevenson said, almost apologetic.

"Hard truth seems to be the Alterran way," Elizabeth said, but she wasn't upset. "What does that have to do with all of this?" she said, gesturing to the lab they were in.

"This is where you are going to get the promotion you earned…Daniel too, though we never had a formal arrangement. He's made considerable progress since he arrived here, due to some subtle nudging on my part."

"Yeah," Daniel said, "I did notice that, by the way."

"I know," Stevenson said, reminding him of his mind-reading capabilities. "Both of you stood out among your race when I first met you, and you've come even further since then. Now it's time you took the next step…and help me in the process."

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed. "How?"

Stevenson looked at Daniel, but said nothing.

Daniel took that as his cue. "He's taking a page out of Merlin's playbook. He's going to turn us into Lanteans…right?"

"Lanteans!?" Elizabeth repeated, stunned.

Stevenson nodded. "I need you to start rebuilding their civilization, and eventually become the caretakers of Pegasus while I and the Alterra move on to larger problems."

"Larger than the Wraith?" Elizabeth asked, her mind racing. Her, an Ancient?

"We'll take care of the Wraith," Stevenson assured her. "It's the aftermath I need the Lantean civilization for."

"A Lantean?" Elizabeth repeated out loud. "I never imagined…"

"Daniel?" Stevenson said, walking over and powering up the device.

"Happy to," he said, jumping up on the pedestal. "Is this going to take several treatments?"

Stevenson raised a curious eyebrow. "That depends how far along you are," he said, using the machine to map out his genome. "I'd guess at least two, based on Merlin's research."

"I wonder what happened to them," Daniel said, referring to the people Merlin had advanced. "Could they still be alive?"

"Depends on the individual," Stevenson said, remembering that he'd had to wipe the part of Daniel's memory where Merlin explained that the Knights of the Round Table had been sent off to another galaxy far, far away. "And how good of shape you get yourself into," he said, glancing at Elizabeth.

"Lesson learned," she said, stepping beside Stevenson and looking at the control board with him.

"According to this, your transformation should take a few days," Stevenson said as the device displayed Jackson's genome along with a stereotypical Lantean model and highlighted the differences. "I'll have to troubleshoot the finer points, but you should be able to get your first treatment within an hour or so."

The holographic schematics disappeared from around Daniel. "Next."

"Guess that's me," Elizabeth said eagerly, taking Daniel's place on the pedestal.

"Just for the record, I couldn't have done this without you fully assimilating your clone body. It would have caused additional problems."

She smiled. "Which was another reason for the training."

He nodded. "Which needs to continue indefinitely," he reminded her.

"I know," she said softly as her genome appeared as a twisted halo around her petite body.

Stevenson recorded her genome alongside Daniel's then shut down the scanner. "Ok, I need a few minutes to tweak the Lantean norms to fit your profiles, then we'll get you both started. You'll feel quite a bit of stress over the next few days, but you need to be as active as possible. I recommend double training sessions, Elizabeth. Morning and afternoon to help you process the changes. Same thing for you, Daniel."

"Get my ass in the gym," he said sarcastically. "Got it."

"Not quite. You need to focus on running and agility drills, not weights. Excessive motion is needed to quickly process the upgrades, or this will take weeks instead of days."

"Just for the record," Daniel mildly complained, "I'm not much of a runner."

"Neither was I," Elizabeth said ironically. "But you'll get used to it."

"I supposed we could work out together?" Daniel suggested, not entirely enthused.

"Heck no," Elizabeth said playfully. "I'm not slowing down for you."

Stevenson laughed. "Good girl. Take a cue from her, Daniel. She's got the right attitude."

"I'll do what I need to," Daniel said, determined.

"If it helps," Stevenson offered. "Most Alterra were runners."

"Really?" Daniel asked, now interested. "I always pictured them as the cerebral type."

"We are…it's called multitasking."

"Not to complain, but I don't see you in the gym."

"Check the records, you'll see my stats."

"There are records?" Daniel asked.

"I've seen him on occasion," Elizabeth told him. "Usually very early in the morning."

Daniel frowned. "By the way, how long do you sleep?"

"About three hours on average."

"That…explains a lot," Daniel said.

"Take my word for it, Daniel," Elizabeth said. "Start training, seriously, or he'll find ways to motivate you," she said knowingly.

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Such as?" he asked, sensing some story behind her remark.

"Just take my word on this one," she half whispered, taking a seat on the edge of a table to wait on Stevenson who was even now working on their genetic profiles.

"Ok," Daniel said, sitting down next to her. He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes, then looked at the ocular devices. "I wonder if I'll need these."

Stevenson heard his question and shook his head 'no.'

"Well then," Daniel said, tossing his glasses aside. "So much for the intellectual look."

"You have nice eyes," Elizabeth said. "No reason to hide them behind glasses."

"You think so?"

"Sure you do…besides, what does it matter what humans think of us. We're about to become Ancients."

"That we are," Daniel said, pleased.


	3. Chapter 3

"_How are you doing?_" Stevenson asked Daniel as he finished his run and walked off the gymnasium's track. Elizabeth ran by him in a blur, lapping him for the third time and giving an almost inaudible "beep beep" as she passed him.

Daniel smiled at that between heaves of air. She'd been giddy ever since her transformation.

"_Sucking badly_," Daniel said in Ancient, answering Stevenson's question, "_but not nearly as much as last week_."

"_How's the burning_?"

"_Gone_," Daniel said, referring to the hyper-processing that his body had been undergoing. He'd felt the changes as a constant burning sensation throughout his body, as if every inch of his flesh was overheating, yet his temperature remained constant.

"_Good_," Stevenson said succinctly. "_I didn't want to take you away until your physiology had fully adapted_."

"_Away?_" Daniel asked, finally getting his breathing under control.

Stevenson nodded. "_I need your help_."

"_Really_," Daniel said, surprised. "_With what_?"

"_I need you to make an introduction_."

"_No problem_," Daniel said, thinking through the list of cultures he'd encountered. "_Who do you want to meet?_"

"_The Ori_."

Daniel coughed in surprise. "_The Ori?_"

Stevenson nodded. "_I have no knowledge of them since the Alterra left Destra. As it is, you know more about them than I do_."

"_You're talking about the humans, right? The ascended Ori are all dead_."

"_Humans and the Priors…the Doci if possible_."

Daniel's eyes narrowed. "_You intend to bring them into the fold_."

"_I intend to bring all humans into the fold. We may not have recreated those in Destra, but at this point, with the Ori dead, they could probably use my help…and I theirs_."

"_You want the Ori fleet to fight the Wraith?_" Daniel asked.

Stevenson shook his head dismissively. "_I don't need them for that. In two months the first Columnar will be finished and I can start witling them down while we build more. The Ori fleet is unnecessary_."

"_Then what do you have planned for them, assuming they play ball, which they very well might not given all that's happened to them. You have something specific in mind, I can tell_."

Stevenson sighed. "_Daniel, you're going to have to accept that there are some things I can't tell you. The stakes are too high, and some secrets I have to keep_."

"_What stakes_?" Daniel pressed. "_Why do you need to keep secrets? To everyone here, including me, it looks like you've got the power to do whatever you please. You've said your mission is to rebuild the Alterran civilization, how does that require secrecy? I mean, who can stand against you…or is there something else going on that you're not telling us_?"

Stevenson considered his next words carefully. "_I have the collective knowledge of the entire Alterran race…more than any single Alterra ever possessed. I will always have secrets, Daniel. And despite appearances to the contrary, our civilization was not an easy one to build the first time around…and we were threatened with annihilation several times in our history. I've shown you one already, and there are many more. I am walking a very fine line…if I screw up and attract the attention of the wrong people, then I put us in an endgame scenario that I will not be able to work my way out of_."

"_So you want the Ori on your side as what…backup_?"

"_No, Daniel. It's not that simple. Everything that I have done is part of a larger design, threads building upon threads. Pull the wrong one, and it all unravels_."

"_Alright, I get it_," Daniel said. "_There's more going on than meets the eye. You have to be careful, for some reason I still don't understand. But what I don't get, especially now that I'm an Ancient, is why you can't tell me. Where's the risk there_?"

"_I'm sorry, Daniel. I can't_."

Daniel looked down at the ground in frustration. "_What _can_ you tell me_?"

"_It's been six years since anyone from Earth has had contact with the Ori. We don't know what's happened to them. I, for one, would rather have them on our side than leave them be and hope they don't become an enemy again_."

"_The ascended Ori are dead_," Daniel reminded him.

"_You're a student of human nature_," Stevenson reminded him. "_Take away their unifying purpose, their religion, their leadership, and the basis for their entire civilization…and you tell me what's possible_."

Daniel considered that for a moment. "_Any number of things. Worst case scenario they resent what we've done and seek to avenge their loss_."

"_I wouldn't call that the worst case scenario_," Stevenson qualified, "_but it's concern enough_."

"_I think I'm beginning to see your point. Give people freedom that they've never had before and all kinds of suppressed aspects of their psyche come to the surface_."

"_We need to at least find out what's happened to them_," Stevenson offered.

Daniel nodded. "_Alright, I'll introduce you to them…but I don't think they'll want to replace the Ori with one of their kin, even if you are flesh and blood_."

"_Possibly_," Stevenson admitted. "_But I'm willing to bet that the Priors feel differently_."

"_Why_?"

"_Same reason the Jaffa are flocking to Dakara_," Stevenson prompted him.

"_A return to normalcy_," Daniel suddenly realized, "_and a renewed sense of purpose_."

"_Never underestimate the power of purpose_," Stevenson advised.

"_No_…," Daniel said, realizing that Stevenson had done the same thing with him…given him a purpose where he had none. Ever since his wife had died his purpose had been ambiguous, and he'd 'floated' from one assignment to another. Threads all, and valuable, but without an underlying motivation to guide his path. "…_I won't_."

"_Come on_," Stevenson said, monitoring his thought process. "_The _Tria_ is ready to leave. Pack what you need. We'll depart as soon as you're aboard_."

"_I won't be long_," Daniel said as Elizabeth walked up to them. Stevenson pointed him forward, and Daniel went ahead of him while he turned to talk to the other Lantean.

"_I'm taking the _Tria_ and Daniel to the Ori galaxy. We might be gone a while_."

Elizabeth frowned. "_The Ori_?"

Stevenson nodded. "_If you don't mind the double duty, I'm putting you back in command of Atlantis…permanently_."

Elizabeth's grin spread from ear to ear. "_I love you_," she said sarcastically.

Stevenson grinned. "_You'll still have to manage Hoth…until you can train a replacement_."

She lost her grin and replaced it with her working face. "_It'll be a stretch, but I can handle it. Did you have someone in mind?_"

"_I'll let you choose. If we're not back in five days Sheppard has a mission scheduled that'll take him back to Avalon. I was going to go with him, but if I don't make it back he's still a go. Bra'tac will keep an eye on him_."

"_Avalon_?" she asked curiously.

"_You can talk to him about it. Something he arranged with McKay_."

"_Sounds interesting_," Elizabeth said. "_Any orders while you're gone_?"

"_Don't blow up the city_," Stevenson said jokingly as he walked off.

* * *

With Daniel aboard, the _Tria_ took off from Atlantis and made its way to the nearest of the two remaining supergates in the Pegasus galaxy. From there they dialed the Avalona purple gate nearest to the location of the Ori supergate. A few minutes in hyperspace later and they arrived at the giant ring, which was considerably bigger than its Alterran counterparts.

Stevenson dialed Destra using both his own knowledge of basic stargate technology and the dialing program that Earth had used onboard the _Odyssey_, which they in turn had gotten from Daniel during his time as an Ori prior. The narrow _Tria_ passed through the gate easily with room to spare and in a few seconds traveled the entire distance that it would have taken the original Alterra 73 years to cover from Destra to Avalona had they traveled in a straight line at maximum speed.

Being such a long distance away from his own stargate network put Stevenson a little on edge knowing that this one pair of gates was his only way back within a decade. Even with the advances in hyperdrive technology that the Alterra had made in the interim, it would still take seven years to cross the gap in the _Tria_.

Once in Destra, Larrin jumped the _Tria_ into hyperspace enroute to Celestis, whose location Stevenson had also derived from the _Odyssey_'s computer. Capturing that ship had been more critical to Stevenson's efforts than Earth would ever know.

"We've got a problem," Larrin said after they'd exited hyperspace. She brought up a holographic schematic of the sensor readings that she was seeing through her mental connection to the control chair.

"It's been destroyed," Daniel said, turning to Stevenson. They exchanged glances.

"Any life signs?" Stevenson asked.

"No," Larrin confirmed. "But, there is a part of the city that my sensors aren't penetrating."

The holographic picture of the rubble of Celestis zoomed in on one subsurface area. It was a null zone…no data at all from the sensors.

"Worth a look," Stevenson said. "Rings?"

"No," Larrin said after checking for a connection.

"We'll take a jumper then," he said, walking aft. "Cloak the ship and change orbit once we're away."

"Understood," Larrin said, agreeing that they shouldn't take any chances. The damage to Celestis looked to be orbital in nature.

When they boarded the first of two jumpers in the _Tria_'s main hangar bay Stevenson slid into the copilot's seat. "_Take us down_," he told Daniel.

"_Alright_," he said, taking the pilot's seat and powering up the tiny ship. He'd always envied Jack his ability to pilot these ships and he hadn't been wrong. The mental interface coupled with the hand controls was just…cool.

The jumper slid out of the bay as the Ancient warship disappeared behind them. Daniel cautiously landed the ship in the rubble of the Ori's holiest city, taking twice as much time as it would have taken Stevenson, but it was obvious that he needed the practice.

Stevenson didn't complain about the delay. He waited patiently until they touched down, then closed his eyes in silence for a moment. "_There's someone here. A Prior, I think_."

"_How can you be sure_?" Daniel asked.

"_I can sense his mind…it's too complex to be human_," he said, getting up. "_I think it's best if they see you first_."

"_Chicken_," Daniel jibbed, though in complete agreement, as he got out of the pilot's seat and lowered the aft hatch. "You staying here or just hiding behind me?"

In response Stevenson disappeared beneath his personal cloaking field. "_I'll have a quiet look around the place while you make contact…just in case there are any surprises_."

"_Makes sense_," Daniel said, heading out. Based on the jumper's sensors, the null zone was only fifty meters away to the northeast. He meandered that direction through the rubble, dressed in a simple, yet elegant Lantean semi-formal uniform. The dark blue material, cut into fine lines that held close to his body stood out in stark contrast to the chaos around him.

The towers of the city now lay in pieces, smashed beyond recognition. Deep furrows exposed underlayers of the city going down several dozens of meters, or _kepps_ as the Ancients had called them. The measurements weren't identical, but they were close, with the kepp being slightly longer. One fissure in the ground looked to be at least fifty kepps deep down to a dark haze that Daniel couldn't see through.

Whatever had hit the city had done a thorough job of leveling it. Based on their flyover prior to landing, not one building remained standing, and most of the foundations were so disrupted that he couldn't tell where the buildings had been…the entire area looked like a dumping ground, with no correlation to the impressive city Daniel had first seen eight years ago through another man's eyes.

Daniel climbed up and over a partially intact column that lay horizontal, spanning two debris piles. When he got to the top he saw a small area that had been cleared of rubble. The smooth stones of the city surface were cracked and disheveled, but it was clear that someone had cleaned up the area surrounding a hole in the ground.

When Daniel approached, his Lantean eyes spied a stairwell inside the hole that was equally damaged, but still intact. He patiently walked over the cracks and jutting pieces of tile until he stood over the opening. Below he saw a solitary torch at the base of the stairs casting light on the curve of the stairs as they passed down to yet another level.

Taking care not to trip on the splintering stone steps, Daniel walked beneath the surface level and into the fire-lit darkness. When he arrived at the plateau with the torch he saw that the level he was on had collapsed, but the stairwell going further down was lit by yet another torch on the lower level.

By the time Daniel reached the second torch the damage to the stairs had ended, the only disruption of their usual gleaming surface was a thin layer of dust. He took a few steps off the platform into this level and saw that it remained undamaged, yet dark. Whatever was causing the sensor disruption must have also protected it from the damage, which Daniel found curious. What would the Ori have valued more than the rest of their city?

A sound from below prompted Daniel to return to the stairs. He cautiously walked down to the next level where he nearly ran into a man coming from an even lower level of the city.

"_Doci?_" Daniel asked, surprised. The man didn't have his ornate shoulder mantle, but Daniel recognized his face.

"_Dr. Jackson_," he said wearily. "_Why have you returned to Celestis_?"

"_To find you, actually. What happened_?"

"_It shames me to say that we have not done well with the truth you showed us. Our civilization is in chaos. Many of those who once called themselves Priors of the Ori now seek power for themselves. In their quest for personal aggrandizement, many have died, far more than we ever killed when we followed the teachings of the Ori_."

Daniel lowered his head for a moment. "_I'm sorry to hear that_."

"_It is no fault of your own, Dr. Jackson. We are the ones to blame_."

"_What happened here_?"

"_Some of the priors sought retribution against the Ori by destroying their holy city. As you can see, only the vault of herebis survived_."

"_Herebis_?" Daniel asked, not catching the reference.

"_Come_," the Doci said, turning around. "_I will show you_."

Daniel followed him down several levels until they were bathed in the light of many torches, enough to cast away any and all lingering traces of darkness.

"_Herebis_," the Doci repeated. "_That which is of value, but not of the Ori_."

Daniel's eyes widened with sudden understanding. In the center of the large room stood an Ori stargate. The curved prongs with the narrow gap at the top were unmistakable. He'd passed through an identical gate when first brought to the Ori's home planet, then made the rest of the journey to the exterior of Celestis via their version of the ring transporter.

The only difference with this gate was that it was pure red, and the inscription on the two prongs read:

_**Behold the gateway to darkness. All who step forth enter the domain of the evil ones, forsaken brothers of the Hallowed**_.

Daniel knew this must have been the gate through which the original Priors had entered Avalona. Beside it was what looked like an Alterran power core, similar in appearance to a ZPM only ten times larger and spherical in design. Off to the side there were also three rings that Daniel realized must have been the original stargate design shared by the Ori and Alterrans before their split. These stargates had no chevrons and no symbols. They were pure silver, dull in sheen, save for a small square patch visible on the outside of one of the rings. There were six buttons, similar to the control panel for the rings, that must have functioned as their destination controls.

The rest of the room was covered with various technologies, some of which Daniel knew to have originated from the Alterrans, but also some that looked decidedly alien. Only the Ori stargate in the center looked to be functional. Everything else was strewn about haphazardly, yet carefully preserved.

"_A treasure vault_," Daniel said offhand.

"_Perhaps_," the Doci said. "_But whereas I once looked upon the herebis with disdain, I now value it above all else. It gives those few of us still loyal to the cause an insight into the lies that the Ori bound us with_."

"_Still loyal_?" Daniel asked.

"_The truth you gave us is a difficult one, Dr. Jackson. We cannot believe in the Ori, yet we cannot disregard their teachings_."

"_Because they lied to you with the truth_," Daniel said, realizing the sticky position they were in.

"_What is the truth and what is not_?" the Doci asked. "_This is what we have been trying to determine…and the herebis have taught us much_."

"_You spoke of others_," Daniel said.

"_They are not here_," the Doci said simply. "_They are amongst the people now. Trying to atone for the evil we wrought, as I am serving my penance here_."

"_About that_," Daniel said. "_There is someone that I think you should talk to. He may be able to help you sort out the truth from the lies_."

"_Of whom do you speak_," the Doci asked without emotion, but there was a slight twitch of his body that convinced Daniel that he was indeed searching for answers.

"_An Alterran. One who has shed light on many of my own misconceptions_."

The Doci's eyes narrowed to squints. "_Why would they help us, we who sought to destroy them?_"

Daniel shook his head. "_This Alterran isn't ascended. He's flesh and blood, like you and me_."

"_How is that possible_?" the Doci asked.

"_It's a long story_," Daniel said with a sigh. "_I'm sure he'll be happy to explain it to you. It was actually his idea for me to come here, so I could function as an intermediary and arrange a meeting_."

"_Is he the one responsible for the change I sense in you_?" the Doci asked.

Daniel nodded. "_Yes, he is_."

"_So be it, then_," the Doci said evenly.

The sound of footsteps on the stairs behind them caught both men's attention. With his white shoes coming into view first, then his legs and wrists as he rounded the stairs Stevenson walked down onto their level. When his face became visible the Doci's eyes widened in shock. It was all he could do to keep himself from bowing out of reflex.

"_Orici_," he whispered.


	4. Chapter 4

Two days after her brief talk with Landry where she painfully recounted all of Woolsey's memories, Sam sat on the couch in her apartment staring at a blank tv screen. She'd been released from the infirmary with a cast, but Dr. Lam had declared her temporarily unfit for duty due to her mental condition. General Landry had given her a two week leave of absence to try and get her wits back before she would have to undergo an I.O.A. interrogation concerning the details of her botched mission.

Landry had also told her that he needed the time to look into a few things, and that the delay would work to his advantage.

It hadn't mattered. Sam's mind was a mess. She wanted to blame that on Stevenson but she knew the truth…she'd done things that were out of character, things that she never would have done in her right mind…the thing was, she couldn't remember having gone astray. Trying to put the pieces together and figure out where she had gone wrong consumed her every waking thought, awash in a constant sea of guilt.

Her only saving grace was that her plans had failed, and she blessed Atlantis for that. She couldn't have lived with herself if…ah, who was she kidding. She couldn't live with herself now, and had ended up in a waking, yet comatose state because of it.

And she knew it. She realized her situation, her inaction, every train of thought and backtracked it to its source. Sam was more aware now than she had ever been, yet she was still disconnected and figured she would continue to be so until she figured out where she had gone wrong. So far, her logic was circular, and she wasn't getting anywhere.

Outside her thoughts her apartment's doorbell rang. She heard it, but didn't respond for a few seconds. She sluggishly dragged herself to the door, still processing Woolsey's memories and her own in a continuous analytical nightmare, and pulled it open, not even bothering to look through the peep hole. If it was a psychotic murderer on the other side she didn't care…she probably deserved it anyway.

"Hi, Sam," O'Neill said sympathetically.

"General," she said, half waking up.

O'Neill raised an eyebrow at the 'General' part. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," Sam said, stepping aside. "Sorry about the mess."

"Ah," O'Neill said, waving it off. "Looks clean compared to mine."

"If you don't mind me asking…why are you here?"

"I heard what happened to you," he said, sitting down on the couch. She sat down next to him…leaving the middle cushion between them.

"And?" she asked, a bit rudely.

"And," he echoed.

"Come to chew me out for losing three ships," she floated.

"No," he said gently, staring into her eyes.

She looked away from him. "What do you want?" she asked, her nerves raw.

"I think I know what you're going through."

Sam scoffed at that. "No you don't."

"You're questioning your own judgment," O'Neill continued. "I've been doing that a lot lately. I don't really like who I'm seeing in the mirror anymore…and not just because of the gray."

"What do you see?" Sam asked meekly, not looking at him.

"A stuffy bureaucrat," O'Neill answered, not pulling any punches. "A pencil-pusher…desk jockey…memo-writing paper monkey."

Sam couldn't help but smile, but it was short lived. "That doesn't sound so bad."

"The point is it's not me. I've been aware of it for some time. I don't think you did…and it's just now catching up with you."

"How could I have been so stupid," Sam said, her walls breaking down followed by another wave of tears.

"Well, let's start with why you didn't take the out I gave you," O'Neill said slowly.

"I thought we needed Atlantis."

"Who's 'we?'"

"The SGC…so it would give us some more political weight to throw around."

"To use against the I.O.A.?" O'Neill guessed.

Sam nodded.

"Been there," O'Neill said candidly. "About a year ago a proposal came across the monstrosity I like to call a desk detailing a way for the SGC to generate some extra revenue. Revenue that would be used as backup if we ever needed to ditch the funds coming from the I.O.A. The plan was to open up an interstellar Wal-Mart using items and resources that we had at our disposal…all off world, of course."

"The Ian Proposal," Sam said, remembering. "It got axed."

"It got axed before I had a look at the details," O'Neill said stiffly. "The base proposal was sound, including the summary that crossed my desk. I was convinced it was a good thing…a great thing, actually. About a week later I remembered that our luck is never that good and had my people do some digging."

"What did they find?" Sam asked, curious despite her continuing despair.

"A rat's nest. How they planned to acquire a lot of these 'items' involved stepping on the toes of the 'minor' civilizations we've come across. A lot of the help we've been giving them for free was going to start carrying a price tag…a small one, they reasoned, to offset the large number of supplies we were dishing out without any return on our investment. It even sounded somewhat reasonable the way they spelled it out."

Sam looked at him. "What happened?"

"I took a long hard look at why we needed 'compensation' for helping people, and I started to realize I had my priorities all screwed up. Earth isn't the only planet in the galaxy, and we can't place our problems with the I.O.A. on other people's heads."

Sam squeezed her eyes shut in shame. "You're right."

"I usually am," O'Neill said sarcastically. "But I also know how to lose."

Sam looked up at him.

"Carter, you're just too stubborn to give up," he said louder. "You got it stuck in your head that the I.O.A. has to be fought…true enough. But there comes a time you've got to give up…when fighting them means you've got to go to the darkside in order to win. And when that happens, you don't win. You become the I.O.A."

Sam leaned forward and put her head in her hands with her chin resting on the edge of her cast. "You're right…you're exactly right."

O'Neill stood up and scooted closer. He sat down and put his arm over her shoulders, giving her a light squeeze. "No matter what you do, you're never going to convince me you're one of the bad guys. You might get your head screwed up from time to time, but on the inside I know you'll always be you. You just forgot for a while."

"That doesn't excuse what I did," Sam argued.

"No…but it explains it. And now that you know the score, I'm not worried."

"That makes one of us."

"You'll find your feet," O'Neill said. "And to that end, your leave has been canceled."

"What?" Sam asked, looking at him.

"I'm reassigning you," O'Neill said, standing up and walking toward the door.

"Where?"

"SG-1," he said, walking out the door with a wry smile on his face.

* * *

Daniel looked between the Doci and Stevenson in confusion. Had he heard him right? Did he just call Stevenson the Orici?

Daniel stared at his friend warily, wondering whose side he was really on.

Stevenson gave him a 'don't be stupid' look as he approached the Doci, who was frozen stiff in awe. "_Why did you call me Orici_?"

"_Your face is known to all Priors_," he said shakily. "_It was burned into our memory the moment of our transformation. You are the Orici spoken of in the book of Origin_."

Daniel saw Stevenson frown, and by the look on the Doci's face he was clearly conflicted. "_What does the passage say_?"

The Doci didn't take his eyes off Stevenson. "_It is said that in the darkest of days, when evil has wrought great destruction and the fires of Celestis are no more, the Orici will appear to guide us back unto the path. He will relight the fire of the Gods, caste away the darkness, and share the knowledge and power of the universe with all those who join him on his quest to vanquish the evil ones in the far lands and bring the light to those who have known nothing but darkness_."

This time it was Stevenson's eyes that widened in surprise, and Daniel could tell from his expression that the Doci's words rang true.

"_What the hell is going on_?" Daniel demanded. "_Are you Alterran or Ori_?"

"_It seems I am both_," Stevenson said dismissively. "_How long have you been a prior?_"

"_Longer than I can recount_," the Doci said. "_Many centuries_."

"_Then you were given the memory of my face before I was born_," Stevenson told him, not understanding it himself.

"_That does not surprise me_," the Doci said evenly. "_Much of the Ori continues to defy reason. I do wonder, though, how the Orici can be one of those the Ori deemed evil. Do you know nothing of this_?"

"_No,_" Stevenson said.

"_Why then, have you come to us? Daniel Jackson has said it was to aid us, to show us the error of our ways and show us the true path_."

"_Those weren't my exact words_," Daniel protested.

"_It is true that much of what the Ori told you has been lies, and though I have no knowledge of how this prophecy came into being…it is not one of them_."

"_What_?!" Daniel asked.

Stevenson glanced at him. "_More of that stuff I can't tell you_."

"_Well you'd better now_," Daniel yelled at him. "_Because from all appearances it looks like you're going to start a war with the ascended Ancients!_"

"_I can't_," he said in a bickering voice. "_Because even though this is far away from their domain, one of them might have followed me through the supergate and could be watching us even now_."

"_So you are their enemy_," he accused him.

"_They are my kin_," Stevenson reminded him. "_I am not their enemy. But they've made it clear that they have ulterior motives that run counter to my own. So I can't run the chance of them not liking what I have planned and move to stop me before I even get started_."

"_How have they made it clear?_" Daniel asked as the Doci simply watched.

Stevenson frowned reluctantly. "_Before you came to Atlantis I discovered a survivor of the plague. She was an Alterran, held in stasis, much like the one you discovered in Antarctica. I cured her of the plague, and not two minutes later they ascended her. They let her rot in stasis for millions of years and only bothered to 'help' her so that they could deny her to me. Now, does that sound like the actions of an ally to you?_"

Daniel frowned as he thought. "_You could have told me_."

"_There was no need to…until now_."

"_Why would they do that? It's their civilization you're attempting to rebuild_."

"_As I said, they have ulterior motives, whatever they are. I'm on my own, and I have to consider the possibility of them acting against me again at some point. And while I'd never turn against my own brothers and sisters, I can't assume the same for them. I should be able to, but who knows how being ascended for millions of years could have changed them. It's possible that they've become so disconnected from the corporeal realm that they don't see me as one of them and they no longer care about rebuilding our civilization_."

"_Again, why didn't you tell me?_" Daniel said. "_From my own experiences I'd have to say that's a distinct possibility. They were willing to let Anubis wipe out all life in the galaxy to appease their vaunted rules or who knows what else_. _I understand, and I want to help. I just don't see why you think you can't trust me. You can read my mind, so…_"

Stevenson sighed. "_It's not a matter of trust, Daniel. It's a matter of security. I can block the ascended from reading my mind_."

"_How_?" Daniel said, frowning.

"_Yet_ a_nother thing I don't want them to know by picking your brain_."

Daniel considered that and realized the nature of the situation Stevenson was in. As he did, Stevenson sifted through the possible ways that the Ori could have known about him. First off was some type of precognition, then there was time travel, or knowledge from an alternate reality similar to their own.

Another question was why would they want an Alterran to lead their people after they were gone…

Stevenson realized they must have foreseen their own death, which may well have been a factor in their war against the ascended Ancients. Perhaps it was in part a preemptive attack…their attempt to circumvent the future they foresaw by destroying the Ancients before they could destroy them.

But then there was the entire Ascended Empire to deal with. It occurred to Stevenson that perhaps the Ori didn't know the full extent of the Empire. It would have been suicide for them to have attempted to defeat it, no matter how much energy they sapped from their followers. But, if they didn't know its true size or power, or perhaps didn't know that it extended beyond the Alterrans, Lanteans, and a few others in the local area…

Lyran had said that information gathering was discouraged within the Empire. If that was true, then knowledge of the Empire on the outside had to be even scarcer. The Ori probably had no clue what they were up against…or maybe the Ascended Empire would have let the Ori kill off the Ancients, wearing themselves down in the process, then finish off what's left of the Ori and eliminate them as a possible threat.

There were too many possibilities and too little data to work from. Stevenson couldn't be sure of anything, but he was getting the distinct impression that the Ori didn't think it would be a cake walk. The prophecy that they'd gone so far as to include in the book of Origin and ingrain into the very memory of the priors may have been a backup in case they failed and their foretold doom came to pass.

If that was the case, then they may have known of the coming conflict between Stevenson and the ascended Ancients/Ascended Empire and sought to aid him simply out of spite for their enemies. It didn't matter that he'd tell the Ori followers the truth about their existence and reshape their civilization based on an Alterran model…they wanted revenge against those that killed them, or would kill them, and they saw him as the perfect, if not only way to do it.

The prophecy said as much, vague as it was. The relighting of the fires bit didn't quite fit...unless…

"_Doci_," Stevenson said a few seconds later. "_The Ori told you part of the truth, I am here to complete that truth and show you way the into the full light. You will have to unlearn much of what you hold to be true, and I have no doubt it will be difficult for you, but if you can find the fortitude within you to endure the battle of wills to come, then I offer you the chance to walk the true path_."

"_You offer_?" the Doci asked. "_You do not command it_?"

Stevenson shook his head. "_True enlightenment cannot be forced_."

"_Is enlightenment even possible, or was that one of the Ori's lies_?"

Stevenson nodded. "_I have the power to ascend at any time I choose. I have not for several reasons. One is that my work is here. Another is that anyone who ascends will fall under the dominion of the others. The combined might of the Ori was insufficient to oppose them. We must remain flesh and blood, whereby they claim they have no right to interfere, in order to take the reigns of our own destiny. If that should ever change, then ascension is still a possibility that I can guarantee…should you prove yourselves worthy_."

"_We have done anything but that_," the Doci said regretfully. "_But I, for one, welcome a chance at redemption_."

"_That still leaves the question_," Daniel interrupted, "_of why would the Ori would want anything to do with an Alterran? There has to be a reason_."

Stevenson was about to answer that with a half truth, but the Doci beat him to it.

"_You spoke of a schism between yourself and the ascended ones_," he said, looking at Stevenson for verification. "_There is another passage from the book of Origin that answers your question, Daniel Jackson. 'He who is opposed, often seeks friends in the strangest of places_.'"

"_Enemy of my enemy is my friend_," Daniel echoed.

"_What is the current state of the people_?" Stevenson asked.

"_Many still believe in the teachings of Origin_," the Doci said, regretfully, "_despite what we have told them. Those that do have been exploited by a small group of Priors that seek power for themselves. They still proclaim the Ori are gods, despite the truth they were shown. The people who serve them do so now as they always have_."

"_Wait a minute_," Daniel interrupted. "_Are you saying the people don't know the truth? I thought the Ark…_" he said, cutting himself off as he realized their mistake. "_The Ark only affected the Priors_."

The Doci nodded. "_And through us, we relayed to them the truth. Many could not accept it. Fighting arose, which we in turn attempted to quell using our powers and knowledge. We were successful for a time, until a rift formed between those that sought to return to the teachings of Origin and those that did not_. _Celestis was destroyed by the later, and even now the fighting continues_."

Daniel glanced at Stevenson. "_Looks like you're the only way to stop it…which the Ori probably also foresaw_."

"_How many ships remain_?" Stevenson asked.

"_To my knowledge, there are thirty four…but even now more are being built by both factions. Those of us still loyal to the book of Origin, yet refuse to close our eyes to the truth have retained four ships. They await your command, Orici_."

"_Summon them_," Stevenson said, standing a bit straighter. "_All of them. Has the stargate on this world also been destroyed?_"

"_No. It remains in the forest on the edge of the plains that surround Celestis_."

Stevenson nodded. "_Then summon all priors to come here immediately, whether by gate or my ship…but see to it that the ships loyal to you arrive here first_."

The Doci bowed slightly, with a serene expression on his face. "_Yes, Orici…and thank you_."

"_For the record_," he added. "_My name is Stevenson. You may address me as such in private_."

The Doci almost cracked a smile, but didn't say a word. He nodded in respect then walked toward the stairs, leaving Daniel and Stevenson alone in the vault of herebis.

"_Are you nuts_?" Daniel whispered. "_You're going to bring all of them here_?"

"_The Orici commands, Daniel. He does not ask. I have to be forceful. It's what they expect_."

"_They may very well kill each other once they get here_," he argued.

"_I know, but I suspect most of them are as desperate as the Doci. They need someone to command them. It's been ingrained into them. And if my face is known to all Priors as the Orici from the book of Origin, then that should solve half the problem right there_."

"_Because one side still believes in Origin_," Daniel said, catching on, "_and you figure you can reason with the others_."

Stevenson nodded. "_I am Alterra. That will never change. And with the Doci supporting me, I expect a lot of the others will automatically fall into line once the chain of command is reestablished_."

"_Sounds a bit optimistic_," Daniel said, "_but I guess it's worth a shot_."

"_If it wouldn't work, then the Ori wouldn't have gone to the trouble to set this up_."

Daniel tilted his head in thought. "_Good point_."

Stevenson raised an eyebrow. "_Now, for you. I need a favor_."

"_What_?" Daniel asked, curious.

"_I need you to leave…now_."

Daniel thought for a moment. "_Because we're not part of the Ori_."

Stevenson nodded. "_And I need you to run an errand for me_."

"_An errand_?"

"_I need you to build me a high security stargate and bring it back here_."

"_A yellow gate_?" he asked, shocked. "_How am I supposed to do that_?"

Stevenson reached forward and touched his fingers to Daniel's forehead. Two seconds later he released the connection.

Daniel blinked his eyes. "_Oh…I can do that_."


	5. Chapter 5

Within an hour several priors had arrived through the Ori stargate and walked across the marshy plains to the ruins of Celestis. Stevenson let the Doci handle them, and instead chose to remain inside the vault of herebis. The Ori had quite a collection of unique items, some of which originated from neither the Alterrans nor the shared technology of the two before the split.

Stevenson slid his hand over the smooth red prong of the Ori stargate inside the vault. It was smaller than the Alterran version, which meant that this route back to Avalona was one way only. A small gate could connect to a larger one, but not the reverse for obvious compatibility issues. He could use this gate as a means of escape if the supergate were ever destroyed…but he'd never be able to get back here and the five trillion humans in Destra would be out of his reach.

That was why he'd sent Daniel and the _Tria_ back to the Alterran network to manufacture a yellow gate for use in Destra. It would allow him instantaneous travel back and forth on foot, and provide a backup in case the supergate was ever destroyed.

He would have to find an applicable power source, but he didn't think that would be too much of a problem considering that the Ori had demonstrated power generation capabilities far superior to the Alterra. He'd spoken with the Doci about what they used to power the supergate over such a great distance…and for the first time since his transformation he was surprised…in a technological way.

The Ori were using a black hole tap to power the gates on either end. The Alterra had never experimented with such things, given the difficulties in actually reaching the surface of a grav sphere of that magnitude. He'd found the Ori method ingeniously simple.

In a black hole, the gravity of the body is sufficient enough to retain all energy emitted as opposed to a star that expels such energy as radiation. The energy produced in a black hole can't achieve escape velocities and is instead contained inside the event horizon. This means that all the luminous energy of 10 stars expelled over thousands, if not millions of years is pooled beneath the event horizon just waiting to be tapped.

The first trick is getting a tap in place without it being crushed into oblivion. The Ori designed multiple shield layers augmented with massive inertial dampeners all powered by the energy the tap absorbs from the environment…so as long as the tap has sufficient power to reach the surface it will forever be able to sustain itself once in place.

The second trick is getting the power back out. The Ori used a micro-wormhole the size of Stevenson's finger to transmit the processed energy to the nearby supergate. Whenever the supergate's capacitors ran low or an outgoing wormhole needed to be established the micro-wormhole would connect first and supply all the power the supergate would need in real time for as long a time as necessary.

Setting up such a system was quite an endeavor, but the payoffs were huge. Whenever he had the time he was going to look into using the Ori designs to create a new potentia factory…one that could potentially charge 1000 of the devices in the time it normally took to charge one.

He wasn't going to rely entirely on the technology for potential production, that would be shortsighted. Stevenson would maintain and expand the number of traditional potentia energy collectors and augment them with a black hole tap. The more options they had available the more powerful they would become. Being pigeonholed into one type of technology was foolhardy and a rookie mistake he wasn't going to make, but he also wasn't going to pass up an opportunity like this.

Stevenson had also asked the Doci a few other questions, including their population estimates and how they'd managed to create their technology if most of the population was living a primitive rural/agricultural existence.

The answer this time wasn't as surprising, but it was still innovative. The Doci told him that select worlds held what the Ori called 'wells of wisdom.' The devices were administered by the Priors and required one of their followers to merely drink from the water of the well and they would be imbued with knowledge far beyond their understanding.

That knowledge would last less than a day, but it allowed the Ori to assemble a skilled workforce for whatever task they required while maintaining the primitive ignorance they deemed of their followers. It was an ingenious system, which some of the Priors were even now using to create more ships to fight amongst themselves.

The last thing he had asked of the Doci was for a copy of the book of Origin. He'd given Stevenson his own copy and the Alterran had spent a good twenty minutes absorbing and processing the words. To his surprise, very little of it was false. However, it had been worded in such a way as to suffer many interpretations. The vagueness of the text was evidence upon first glance, but there was subtle wisdom in the pages if one knew how to read between the lines.

In fact, most of the book of Origin had been paraphrased from texts predating the Ori/Alterran split. They'd obviously rewrote the passages to their design, but the basics were the same. This more than anything else told Stevenson how to proceed.

Four hours after the Doci had sent his summons, the first of their massive ships arrived. Stevenson instructed him to land them on the plains surrounding the city. One to the north, one to the south, one to the east, and one to the west…all facing in. The rest of the ships would settle down in between them forming a great circle where all the Priors would gather.

During the time it took for the rest of the ships to arrive Stevenson did not allow himself to be seen. Apparently the Doci commanded enough respect to keep the factions subdued…enhanced by the fact that he had not issued a single order since his encounter with the Ark. When he had summoned all Priors and ships to Celestis in the name of the Orici, they had responded instinctively…but Stevenson could sense the tension boiling beneath the calmness.

He waited a full three days before choosing to reveal himself. At that point most of the Priors and ships had arrived, but not all. Stevenson couldn't wait for the others. He could feel the Doci's calm hold over the thousands of assembled Priors slipping and he knew it was time.

The Doci called for all Priors to assemble on the plain just north of the ruined city. They did as bidden and stood elbow to elbow, some visibly sneering at one another, but no physical disputes arose. They were all curious to hear what was happening.

There was a small empty space radiating around the Doci, who had his back to the rubble. He activated his mantelpiece, the central jewel glowed, and a ring of fire traced itself in a circle a few meters wide from the Doci…but it wasn't centered on him. Instead it was centered on the emptiness to his right. The fires burned brighter and higher, culminating in a two meter high blaze that obscured him from view.

When the flames diminished there were two individuals standing within the ring of fire…with Stevenson at the center.

He could both see and feel the reaction of the Priors when they saw his face. The Doci had been right, they all knew him on sight.

Nearly a third of all the Priors assembled fell to their knees in reverence. The others stood their ground…but completely at a loss. They didn't know what to do…or what to make of him.

"_Rise_," Stevenson said, amplifying his voice. When his order was followed he brought forth the book of Origin, opened it to the first page, and began to read.

"_Hallowed are the Ori, for it is through their divine intent that man should be conceived and spread forth amongst the stars._"

"_Hallowed are they who offer their divine knowledge to those that would caste off the evil that seeks to corrupt them and walk the path of the righteous._"

"_Hallowed are they who offer their blessing to those who are righteous and faithful, and give forth their promise that all such believers shall join them in the fires of everlasting enlightenment_."

Stevenson paused after those lines, then explained the meaning of them. He told them of their actual creation by the Ori and briefly explained the concept of 'ascension' before he continued onto the next bit of text.

He read and explained the first part of the book of Origin for the next eight hours. Not one of the Priors moved during that time. Not one of them spoke. They had questions, many questions, but they dared not ask…so Stevenson simply took them from their minds and answered as he went along. By the time Stevenson dismissed them for the rest of the day with instructions to eat, rest, and return in the morning not a one of them wanted to leave, but they did as bidden and dispersed to the assembled ships.

"_Your wisdom is truly great, Orici_," the Doci praised him. "_Is there anything you require?_"

"_A room aboard one of the ships…and five hours of uninterrupted meditation_."

"_Come_," he said, making sure to walk beside the Orici and not in front of him. Out beyond the ruins where the northernmost ship sat, a ring platform now rested on the ground. The Doci and Orici used it to enter the ship, where Stevenson was afforded every courtesy befitting his position.

"_We will begin again at the rising of the sun_," Stevenson told him from inside his chambers.

The Doci bowed. "_We will be waiting_," he said before telekinetically closing the doors.

Stevenson dropped onto the bed and flopped onto his back. The Priors had wanted to hear more of the real truth that the book of Origin held, and had been willing to remain for hours more but Stevenson couldn't. The Priors might have been accustomed to standing for hours on end, but the Alterran's physiology was still in flux and he'd felt his internal instability growing by the hour. He had to stop before it reached critical levels and threatened his cellular integrity.

The new Orici pulled his feet up off the floor and sat in a cross-legged position on the end of the bed, taking on a meditative pose. Objects from around the room, the heavier the better, flew up into a circling halo that split into three rotating circles that spun on radically different orbits. He reversed one and intersected the other two…then set about maintaining the manipulation, the more complex the better, as it slowly allowed his body to drain off the building stress and allow his forced evolutionary development to streamline into the efficiency required to sustain his life.

* * *

"What's going on?" Larrin asked when Daniel returned to the _Tria_ without Stevenson.

"We have a new mission," Daniel told her.

"Great…what is it?" she asked spunkily.

"Back to Atlantis to pick up some supplies first, then to a secure facility in Avalona where Stevenson wants us to build him a new stargate then bring it back here."

"If you say so," she said, powering up the hyperspace engines. "Can you dial the supergate?"

"Yes," Daniel answered quickly.

Larrin closed her eyes. "Jumping to hyperspace."

* * *

The rings in the gate center activated and deposited Jackson in the darkness. As soon as the facility detected his Ancient gene the lights came on and the five stargates became visible in front of him. He turned around and saw the control tower less than two meters behind him.

"Ok…" Daniel said, mentally reviewing the steps Stevenson had given him to follow.

He turned and walked to his left. He quickly found the access door that led to the innards of the facility and the control tower above him. He ascended the stairs and accessed a specific terminal.

"Larrin, you should have tie-in control now."

"Got it," she said over the comm. "Transporting now."

Outside on the main floor a number of crates materialized from the Ancient's form of short range transport beams. Among the crates a number of figures started to move…replicators that Weir had sent along to handle the raw materials.

Now that they were here, Daniel went down to the lower levels of the facility. Level 13 specifically. It was here that the individual supplies were being fed into the machinery that would process them into the components of a new stargate…which one depended on his input in the control room.

This one was slightly smaller than the control tower lookout and was segmented into five areas. Daniel slid into the third station and activated the console. He scrolled through the diagnostics and watched as the necessary components were loaded into coffers. The increase in supply was monitored by three dozen bars that denoted the amount of available supplies. Apparently some material had already been present in the coffers, including some rare components that his list for Elizabeth hadn't contained.

While that happened Daniel pulled up the template for a high security yellow gate. The controls allowed for any number of modifications to the gate designs…all of which was well beyond Daniel's expertise. Fortunately, he didn't have to design a new gate, just copy an existing design. He input the standard yellow gate schematics into the machine and cued it to begin fabrication once sufficient material was available.

That happened some fifteen minutes later when the replicators were only half finished loading the supplies. Status boards throughout the control room glowed to life along with the manufacturing equipment that had built the original gate network.

Daniel found it odd that he should be here. The mystery of the origin of the stargates had been a constant throughout his time at the SGC…and now he was here, building one himself.

The estimated time of completion for the single gate was noted on his console…seven jolunes, which translated into about three hours. With time to spare Daniel thought he'd take the opportunity to explore the gate center…then thought better of it. Stevenson's instructions had provided him with the route to get to the control room on this level, but not anywhere else in the facility that was half the size of Atlantis. If he wasn't careful he could easily get lost, and since he didn't know the function of any of the equipment except that which he required to carry out this mission, Daniel decided to explore this level only and see the gate fabrication process up close.

He left the control room and walked out on the main floor. There were pathways constructed throughout the level in an erratic, web-like pattern that meandered between large, sealed machines on the inside of which most of the magic was happening.

Daniel heard the his of a force field activate behind him and he turned to see a small component float from one machine to another across the bluish/green energy conduit. A few moments later another followed in its path.

Intrigued, Daniel waited while the components did whatever they needed to do inside and looked for their exit from the device. As he was waiting another two such force fields activated between other machines and additional components were passed on, these looking like crystals and rods, whereas the first had resembled the grayish material that covered Avalona style stargates.

_Of course it would be Avalona style_, Daniel thought to himself. The Pegasus gates hadn't been built here.

Daniel followed the flow of components for a while, then noticed the first intersection of pieces. When they came out as one, they rode a slightly larger force field conduit and moved onto even larger processing machines. Slowly over the course of the three hours hundreds of different initial components were combined and augmented into what finally resembled a curved beam.

Nine pieces of this beam entered the largest processing station Daniel had seen yet, along with a number of other components from other directions…Daniel hadn't been able to follow them all, there were far too many. He sincerely hoped that everything was functioning as it should, because Stevenson hadn't given him the knowledge to troubleshoot any problems.

The nine beams that had entered the latest machine emerged in a large, lateral force field conduit, having been connected together into a large blank ring. For the first time Daniel could see the stargate taking shape as it slid into yet another large device.

When it exited this one the yellow chevrons had been added. The next added the inner ring of symbols. The following station didn't change anything as far as Daniel could see, so he assumed it was some internal modification. Two more such stations ended the fabrication process.

The finished gate floated out of the machine and into a vertical storage slot, held aloft entirely by energy fields. Daniel knew this was his cue, made ever more obvious by the entire line of machinery powering down.

He walked over to a wall-mounted control pad near the storage racks and input a select sequence. The gate tipped over and floated on a river-like suspension field that led to a vertical shaft of shimmering bluish/green light. When the gate reached this point it was carried upward through the levels where it would arrive on the main floor.

Daniel took the long route back up and met the hovering gate eye to eye in the center of the vast expanse of emptiness on which the five functioning stargates and the control tower rested. He wondered why there was such an abundance of space for a moment, then decided it was yet another mystery he'd discover later.

He walked up to the new gate, unaffected by the force field, and put his hand up against the metal…it was still warm, but not painfully so. He glanced up above the horizontal ring and saw yet another transport pylon hanging from the ceiling.

Daniel nodded to himself and hiked back up to the control tower. He signaled Larrin to stand ready to receive the transfer, then used the control room interface to transport the gate directly to the _Tria_'s cargo hold. He followed a couple minutes later via the rings.

Once aboard, they ducked through the purple gate outside the gate center and took a short cut back to the supergate, where Daniel once again dialed the Ori device as Stevenson had instructed him. They slipped through without incident and set course back to Celestis.

* * *

"Ok," Daniel said as he looked over the _Tria_'s sensor data. "I guess he really did get their attention."

"What do you want to do?" Larrin asked as they hid beneath the ship's cloaking device in geosynchronous orbit over the 27 grounded Ori motherships on the surface.

"He has a communicator with him, right?" Daniel asked.

Larrin nodded beside him, having abandoned the control chair. "He should."

"Wait a minute," Daniel said, thinking. "Send a text message via the intergalactic communicator saying that we're here. We don't want to interrupt him if he's in the middle of something."

"Good thinking," Larrin said, nodding to her bridge crew. "I hope he knows what he's doing. That's an awful lot of firepower down there."

"Yeah," Daniel said, mirroring her thoughts. "But as you well know, he can be very persuasive when he wants to be."

Larrin raised an eyebrow. "Is that some crack about the Travelers?"

Daniel looked at her calmly. "No, I don't think he uses his abilities to manipulate people into doing what he wants…well, not in a bad way, exactly. I think he uses his talents to clear a person's mind rather than bending it to his will."

"He can do that?" Larrin asked, concerned.

"Adria could," Daniel commented, then realized she had no idea what he was talking about. "The other Orici who led the Ori in their invasion of Avalona had similar abilities to Stevenson…one of them was the ability to warp a person's mind into doing whatever she wanted them to. I think Stevenson has the same type of telepathic ability, but he doesn't use it in the same way."

"But he could," Larrin pressed.

"I imagine he could do a lot of things if he wanted to," Daniel said evenly. "Just be thankful he's one of the good guys."

Larrin looked miffed. "I don't like people messing with my mind…or having that kind of power."

"I wouldn't worry about it too much," Daniel said sympathetically. "If he was the domineering type he wouldn't be giving us the ability to counteract his powers."

Larrin frowned. "What do you mean?"

Daniel looked directly at her. "When he transformed me into a Lantean he undercut his ability to affect my mind. I'm much stronger now that I used to be, both physically and mentally. I have no doubt he's stronger still, but if he was intent on brainwashing us to do his bidding he's going about it all the wrong way."

"That's assuming he hasn't already messed with your head," Larrin argued, but she saw his point.

"No, he hasn't. I'm more cleared headed now than I've ever been."

"Good for you, but that doesn't help me much. Suppose he gets a little lonely and wants some companionship for the night…not that I'd really mind, he's cute enough…but I don't like the idea that he can compel me to do whatever he wants on a whim."

"I'm not sure it works that way," Daniel argued. "From my experience this type of mental manipulation convinces you to voluntarily comply, sort of like an amped up version of peer pressure. He can't take direct control over you…" Daniel said as a stray thought struck him. The intergalactic communication device that the old Alterrans used had functioned in just that way. Could that have been an extension of their natural abilities? Daniel would have to ask him about that later.

"So he can only entice you…" Larrin said thoughtfully. "Hmmn, that seems fair enough."

"It does?" Daniel asked, surprised she would say that.

She raised a playful eyebrow. "I'm somewhat familiar with the concept of enticement."

"Right…" Daniel said, catching her meaning as the _Tria_ received a response to their message.

"Larrin, he says to bring the ship down to the surface and deposit the gate inside the ruins of the city," her second in command read from his terminal.

The Captain of the _Tria_ nodded then returned to the control chair. "With your permission?" she asked Daniel.

"Granted," he said, not realizing that she needed his permission. Then again, with him being a Lantean that probably put him higher up in the chain of command by default. "Lower the cloak," he ordered, not wanting to spook any of the Ori ships on the surface.

The Lantean ship broke through the heavy cloud cover directly over the city, exchanging its shadow for those of the clouds. In the center of the debris a large circle had been cleared away.

"Down there, I'd guess," Daniel said. "How low do we have to be to use the beams?"

"Very," she answered. "Right in front of those Ori guns."

"We'll be fine," Daniel reassured her. "Deposit the gate in the clearing. I'm taking a jumped down, unless I can go down on the beams?"

"You can, but I'm detecting several ring platforms…one for each ship, actually."

"I don't want to ring down inside a ship unannounced."

"No, I mean a ring platform outside each ship. I wasn't counting the ones inside."

"Outside? Really." Daniel commented. "Put me down nearest to the city."

* * *

Stevenson met up with Daniel on the ground as the _Tria_ floated lazily overhead. No Priors, or any other people for that matter, were in sight. It was just the two of them on the plains.

"_How's it going_?" Daniel asked.

"_It's done_," Stevenson said. "_I'm in charge now_."

Daniel's jaw dropped. "_That was fast_."

"_Any problems_?"

Daniel shook his head. "_Nope. Came off without a hitch…assuming that it actually works_."

"_It should once we get a power source hooked up. Now that the gate's here you're free to return to Atlantis. I, however, am going to have to spend most of my time here in the coming days_."

"_I understand_," Daniel said warily, thinking that Stevenson might have bitten off more than he could chew.

"_I'm going to need you and Elizabeth to keep things together until Teyla is ready_."

"_We'll do our best_," Daniel assured him. "_What about Sheppard? I thought he was your right hand man_?"

"_He will be, someday. But not yet. He still has some growing up to do_."

"_How so_?" Daniel asked, curious.

"_He still clings to others' impressions of himself. His father's, particularly. He treated Sheppard like a loser, and until he can clear his head of that nonsense he's not ready for an upgrade_."

"_He needs to release his burden_," Daniel said, understanding. He'd had to face a similar situation with his wife after she'd died.

"_I wouldn't put it in those words_," Stevenson mildly corrected him, "_but you're essentially correct_."

Daniel glanced over his shoulder toward the spot where they'd deposited the gate. "_How long until we hear from you_?"

"_I'll check in when we hook up the gate to the network. Probably no more than two weeks. After that I'll be able to travel back and forth when needed…and remember, the long range communications device won't work this far away. You'll have to send all messages through the gate_."

"_Got it. Any modifications we need to make on our end? Does Atlantis have enough power_?"

"_With a potentia and a gate of this size, yes. There are a few dialing modifications I'll need to make on Atlantis's end, but let me worry about that when I get back_."

"_Alright then_," Daniel said, sensing it was time to go. "_Good luck_."

"_And to you_," Stevenson said, extending his hand. "_Thanks_."

"_Whatever you need_," Daniel said, walking back to the ring platform.

Stevenson let him go and walked toward his new stargate. He had a lot of work to do here in Destra before he could move on to phase two of his plan, but for now, at least, he was one step closer to rescuing the Asgard.


End file.
